Hey there space-friends,
In the past few months a number of reviews for my album Childhood Hero have trickled down the pipeline. Some good, some bad, and some rather confusing. In the spirit of online authority i would like to present a new section of my blog/myspace/life... The Reviews Reviews! They will be judged on accuracy, bullshit and general knowledge of hip hop. Let the games begin!
okay first off we have this peice from HipHopRemix.Com... check it out:
Rob Rush - Childhood Hero
Written by Driver
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
In rap we have the Pac's, Biggie's, Big L's, Big Pun's, etc...as our hero's in rap. Can one day Rob Rush be our childrens childhood hero?
Remember back when hip hop was in its hay-day? When you hit up Best Buy and could close your eyes in the rap section and touch anything and it would be dope? I think we all agree that things have changed. Now, we're digging through the "Crunk Hits Vol 1,2,3,4,5,6…" – you know I'm right people. I digress though. Rob Rush in "Childhood Hero" tries to bring that essence back. While his attempts definitely do not go without notice as he goes into depth into his personal life to display to the public.
While only his debut album Rob Rush paints some good stories and encourages people in "Another Chance". Rob breaks down the support to the listeners of with the help of production of Coley Cole.
While only 10 tracks
"I use to write everyday and burn pages of notebooks
Now I concentrate on 16 bars and dope hooks
Lost a little bit of passion maybe gained some experience
And this is the result…"
As it breaks into beat and turns out to be one of the most notable tracks "Useful" Rob teams up with Dj Dahi which proves to be a 1-2 punch. Giving insight to his personal life where he goes into detail what he learned in life and giving advice for those that desperately need it.
"You often mock and intimidate to become what you despise
Wise up – time is short and you don't know what its worth
So explore and express yourself till it hurts
People have a lot of methods to cope these days
I say when in doubt utter clichés"
"Give it to Me" Rob breaks down his expressions over some fresh production by Grin Grand which at first listen is an skip over. Yet, thank GOD I hit repeat to make sure I wasn't hearing things. The quickness of the beat will take you back to the days of b-boyin and at the end you just want to stand in a b-boy stand mean muggin.
While most artist use some skit at the end of their cd Rob shows some of his best lyrical talent in a track entitled "Untitled" where he constantly spits over a drum pattern that alone with have you it on repeat but mixed with guitar will have jammin' to this track.
While Childhood Hero is Rob Rush's debut album and is in fact only 10 tracks long – it does guarantee him for a future release, hopefully more hip hop on the next one.
"It ain't worth a damn if you don't use your heart and your lyin' to yourself if you don't use your heart"
Driver - "Childhood Hero Review" from HipHopRemix.Com
Written By Rob Rush
Well at first glance this review seems to be like any other review you might read on a website while pretending to work at your desk job. It has some good and some bad aspects, gives a general idea of the music and is fairly complementary. Upon further reading though, a few things came to my attention. First off is the attention to the latter half of my record, this is an area that doesn't get much attention since I believe that some reviewers listen to the first half then skip through the second half. I have to give Driver credit here for listening to the whole record, and with some serious intent as well. The amount of lines quoted, accurately, are a nice touch and shows dedication to his craft of online reviews.
His opening statement is nice and vague, but it still draws you in with references to more popular hip hop artists such as 2Pac and Biggie, genuine catch all names that will at least keep someone reading. Throwing is own opinion of the meaning of the title to the album "Childhood Hero" is a great move. Something I always enjoy in reviews since I really had no reason of my own for the title. The only logistical error in this review is the mis-spelling of Grip Grand's name when giving credit to the producer of the crowd favorite "Give It To Me". Grin Grand is now my new nickname for my old pal Grip and for that I can thank Driver.
Overall this review is quite good and I think properly reflects the flaws and highlights of my record. However, his closing statement about my next album being "more hip hop" is an interesting one. It's my opinion that a good 50% of my record is VERY hip hop, and that 50% of the record, the first half, is the part that Driver dosen't seem to pay much attention to other than "Give It To Me" arguably the most hip hop track on the record, which he found love for upon the 2nd listen. Maybe if Driver takes the CD on a road trip and pops it in without looking at it and not focusing on the more personal tracks at the end he could find a way to appreciate the candy coated boom bap shell on M&M of my album. With no bullshit, and lifting an amazing ZERO lines from my press package I think this is one of the more honest and likable reviews I'm going to get for my record. The only drawbacks are the spelling errors and of course the 3/5 score that my record got. The result is my score of 4 RL's. His love for my record insures that my next album will be well received and hopfully garner a higher score. Check out www.hiphopremix.com for more work from Driver.
Score:
Rob Rush :: Childhood Hero :: Rimeout Recordings as reviewed by Matt Tomer
Your average undergrounder's resume might read like the following:
- Opened for Hillary Duff
- Frequently draws crowds exceeding 1,000
- Named WJKOR Super Duper Rap Star of the Week
- Is a really great guy
Perhaps in its satire, but more likely for the fun of it, Rob Rush's press kit boasts a superior write-up. In a column of facts that may or may not be true according to his label, he is The Game's replacement in G-Unit, owns over 300 custom-made grills courtesy of Paul Wall's cousin, finished 4th in a "Rob Rush Lookalike" contest, and sold 2.5 million dollars worth of candy bars and dental insurance whilst in grade school. Sued by Kool Keith for raising a testimonial statue without permission, he lost all profits. Oh yeah - and he doesn't like ice cream.
Rob Rush does what he can to make it public: he's here to lighten things up. Mixing an odd blend of his own personal quirkiness with an extremely old school vibe, "Childhood Hero" might as well have went as an Ulramagnetic tribute after all. You can cut violence, materialism and booty shakin' right out of the picture; this is pre-1992 at the core. Rob likes joking around, but at his best, he's laughing at himself. "Boy's Got Brains" is an exploration in his own lost potential, where the lovable loser can only lament: "I'm a wage slave, always pulling down my hourly/while all my old friends pick up a six-figure salary." He's clever when he's feeling it, even closing out the album with a particularly nice touch: concluding a lovesick stream of consciousness, Rob adds, "that's what you told me and I trust you/I wanna see your smile tomorrow; I lov..." Instead of finishing his line with "love you," we're left hanging on the same note he might be in his actual life.
Such moments highlight "Childhood Hero," but mainly stand out due to the rest of the album. God bless his humor, but his said originality hardly justifies a line like "you play the game, I'm a referee." A guy like KRS-One might have earned that position. Rob Rush? Come now. And as different as Rob makes claims, you'd think he'd come a little harder on "1, 2, 3:" "It goes one for the headphones, two for the clubs, three for the cats out here that show me love." Blah, blah, and a dash of more blah. These days you need a Premier banger or damn near the equivalent to get away with that whole shtick.
Rob reaches to hip-hop's heyday with an outstretched arm, but in doing so his style becomes played out by 12 years plus. Old school can be good (see Jurassic 5 and People Under The Stairs); the trouble is keeping things relevant. Where successful acts are able to bridge a tricky gap, Rob bums around in stereotypical braggadocio, whiter, nerdier and often cornier than a ghost-written Big Daddy Kane verse could even make amends for. On "Give It To Me:" "I know the culture and I'm an active part of it, the essence of hip-hop and I'm at the heart of it." One-liners like this might have melted faces in 1987, but hip-hop has become much too demanding for it to even get by.
The production, while as old school as its master of ceremonies, is very good. Heavily sample-based, many of the beats dangerously border gimmick, but remain great fun. The title track is awesomely spontaneous, producer Richie Cunning splicing various classics like "Paid In Full" into his own funky break. "Let 'Em All Know" knocks with two looping piano chords and throwback horns, and the opening "Introgator" is a pounding blaxploitation break for Rob to rap over in triple cadence.
Rob reads more like a comic book than a hardcover novel, but even then the cover illustration builds a better story than what's ever delivered. If he only used his sense of humor and life experiences more than he spat up rehashed old school cliche, "Childhood Hero" could have been much more than the "brand new" antique that it is. Rob can keep being a goofball for all I care; he plays the part well. Still, maybe the next time I read his resume it'll boast a few more serious accolades.
Music Vibes: 7.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 6 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 6.5 of 10
Originally posted: December 12, 2006
source: www.RapReviews.com
Matt Tomer - "Childhood Hero Review" from RapReviews.Com
Written By Rob Rush
Now this is a great review, right off the bat he seems to get the humor of my record and my light hearted approach to music. I actually wrote Mr. Tomer when this review came out and told him how much I appreciated his criticism. Saying i fall short in certain areas is fair enough, you can't please all the people all the time. His favorite song, "Boys Got Brains" is an interesting choice, this is clearly the most middle of the road song on the album, traditional and straight forward with some catchy lines and a simple message. This is the song that i have gotten the most reaction from, hence why it's my main song on Myspace.
Like any good reviewer he can't be all mean or all nice. It's clear to me that Matt is more into modern rap that pushes boundaries in different directions than i choose to go all the time. In the fourth paragraph Matt says "One-liners like this might have melted faces in 1987, but hip-hop has become much too demanding for it to even get by." That critique is beautifully stated but may fall short of it's mark since the line in reference is on the song "Give It To Me" which the astute listener would recognize as a true to life homage to the era of flat tops and 3 man dance routines and would be right at home in 1987. In a round about way that statement legitimizes my attempts in that song, and for that Matt, I thank you.
Matt's closing statement about the direction of my career is one that shows how my light hearted approach to music can often be interpreted as softness and/or a goofy altitude akin to a sucker. It should be made clear that I ain't no joke... not meaning that i am in fact a joke, which would be the literal meaning of that statement, but rather that i am really seriously with out a doubt not a joke. the double negative is used to reinforce the furiousness of the statement. Getting a solid middle of the road 6.5 from Matt, falling just short of the true "whatever" grade of 7 has given me some fire to maybe cartoon myself up a little more on my next release, hopefully the next release will tickle Mr. Tomer's fancy a little more intimately.
Score:
more reviews coming soon!